


Mommy Issues

by G0th_Husband



Series: Hubert Has Mommy Issues [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Eagles Mercedes von Martritz, During Timeskip (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hubert has mommy issues, Long One Shot, Maternal Mercedes Von Martritz, Mommy Issues, Mommy Kink, One Shot, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Soft Hubert von Vestra, out of character??? Maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23285473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G0th_Husband/pseuds/G0th_Husband
Summary: After joining the Black Eagles, Mercedes became the maternal missing piece, but she couldn’t help but notice that there was one member who never came to confide in her: Hubert, Edelgard’s loyal servant.In an attempt to get to know him better, she pays him a short visit, but ends up learning more about the minister than she was expecting.
Relationships: Mercedes von Martritz & Hubert von Vestra, Mercedes von Martritz/Hubert von Vestra
Series: Hubert Has Mommy Issues [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740220
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	Mommy Issues

The last place Mercedes expected herself to be was part of The Black Eagle Strike Force. After years of dedication to the church and the goddess, she never even dreamed of being part of a group hellbent on taking down the archbishop. When the professor asked her to join their house, she thought nothing of it. The Blue Lions were lovely, but there was just something about the professor and their values that made her so compelled to join. Leaving Dimitri, Sylvain and even her best friend, Annette, was difficult. She couldn’t deny that, but she trusted her professor.

Now, here she was. Fighting against her beloved church, based in the ruins of the Cathedral.

She certainly didn’t agree with what Rhea and her followers had become, but knowing that she would potentially have to fight her herself was still bittersweet.

Regardless, she did enjoy battling alongside the Black Eagles. She had learnt a lot about these people since joining their ranks. Their aspirations, their strengths, their worries- they had all confided in her in one way or another. Back in the Blue Lions, she was always referred to as motherly and that quality was clearly something missing from the more reserved nobility of Edelgard’s house. However, there was always one person who never seemed to pay Mercedes much mind:

_Hubert._

Edelgard’s trusted minister.

Over the five years she had been working with the Black Eagles, everyone had welcomed and acted alongside her accordingly. Some took longer than others, yes- Linhardt, for instance, could not be bothered with the small talk surrounding a new face- but Mercedes could not ever recall interacting with Hubert. This was for many different reasons. Ferdinand insisted that he was too busy advising Edelgard, Bernadetta said that it was because he was just an antisocial guy, but it was Dorothea’s suggestion that confused her the most.

“He’s not the most confident around women.”

That sentiment vexed Mercedes. Not confident around women? That couldn’t be right. Most of his classmates were female. His leader was female. He seemed plenty composed around Edelgard. To her, it just seemed that he could not be bothered with the women in his midst. He was the type to focus on his duties and nothing more.

Or... perhaps it was something deeper.

A flurry of worrying thoughts ignited in the woman’s mind. She was never the type for gossip or conspiring, but something didn’t sit right with her. She’d hate to know one of her comrades was suffering alone. Suffering in silence. She hated being pushy, but she needed to know what was going on, lest her worries get the better of her.

-

She waited for darkness to fall upon Garreg Mach. Since the strike force took over, evenings had become deathly quiet. The most logical reason for that being the small amount of people, but a part of her couldn’t help but think that it was out of fear of breaking some kind of curfew. She thought this would be a more comforting environment for the sinister fellow. Now the only question was where he could be. She hoped it would be far too late for the man to still be at Edelgard’s side or writing out plans for some covert operation. At least, that’s what she hoped. The only place she could assume he’d be was his room.

Once it was dark enough and she had mustered up her courage, she crept from the sanctum of her bedroom to the landing. Hubert’s chambers were upstairs. She had been up there once or twice when checking on Annette, but she had never seen him walk the halls like she had Caspar or Ferdinand. If she recalled correctly, he was in the fifth room on the left, right next to his superior.

She ascended the stairs as quietly as she could. She would hate to wake or disturb anyone whilst on her little quest. She couldn’t deny she was anxious. Her slender hands wrung the fabric of her skirt as she padded along the wooden floors.

Perhaps she should’ve brought something to appease him? Some coffee maybe? No. Considering the state of the Empire, getting such a product would be near impossible.

Before she could let her worries get to her, she found herself outside his door. She brought her hands to her chest, feeling it rise and drop heavier than usual. Mercedes wasn’t exactly the most socially anxious woman. Quite the opposite, but something about being in front of Hubert’s room made her uneasy. She wasn’t afraid, she wasn’t intimidated, she just didn’t know what to expect. She had spoken to every Black Eagle bar him. This was untouched territory for her.

She let out a deep sigh before landing a soft knock on the door.

“Hubert?” She chirped softly, “It’s Mercedes.”

Silence.

She pouted a little and raised an eyebrow. Was he really still working? Surely not at this hour.

“Hubert? Are you there?”

She knocked again and was greeted by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.

He must’ve been at his desk. How diligent.

The blonde brought her hands back to her lap, looking at the door with wide eyes as it cracked open.

“Mercedes.”

She smiled at the sound of his voice, “Hubert.”

He chuckled slightly, his long, pale fingers wrapping around the door frame, opening it further.

“You’re not usually awake at this time of night. What has brought you here?”

She looked up at him. His face was much more hollow than she remembered. His eyes were dark underneath, his cheeks concave. She knew he had always had an unintentional look of death to him, but it still instilled some motherly anxiety in her.

“I wanted to have a talk with you.”

He looked puzzled. His eyes widened at her words. While he did do his best to get along with his allies, they rarely sought him out themselves. Edelgard was the exception, of course, but that was a matter of business. Besides, she seemed far too occupied with the professor for his liking.

“A... talk? With me?” He asked, his voice wavering, “Since when have you been interested in chatting with me?”

Mercedes brought a dainty hand to her mouth and giggled,

“Oh, Hubert! You and I have had hardly any time to talk, so I thought I’d initiate a little something.”

A lie.

Well, a partial lie.

It was true she barely spoke to the man, but her intention was to test Dorothea’s little theory. She hated being dishonest, it was against her faith, but a man as shrewd as Hubert would likely be turned off by something as petty as confirming a rumour.

“Can I come in?”

-

Hubert’s room was peculiar. It was very empty. No extra decoration, no little personal features, just exactly as it began. The only indication of someone actually residing there was the stack of papers and books on his desk, sat snugly between a collection of inkwells and quills. The rest of the room was just untouched.

Mercedes took a seat on his bed, slowly sinking into the surprisingly plush sheets. She half expected the hardest, coldest bed imaginable, but this softness was welcomed. Across the room, the minister stood beside his cluttered desk, his hands behind his back and posture so upright one would think he was addressing Edelgard. His presence was sinister, yes, but it didn’t faze a woman like Mercedes.

After a moment of awkward silence, Hubert spoke.

“So, what is this talk you wanted to have?”

Mercedes intertwined her fingers across her stomach, feeling herself breathe in as she composed what to say.

“Well, I wanted to get to know you- to put it simply, anyway.”

Hubert cocked his head to the side, “Get to know me?”

“Yes! Of course!” She beamed, smiling sweetly at him. “I’ve spoken to the rest of the Black Eagles so much over the last few years. They’ve been so welcoming and have taken quite the sanctuary in me. All except you! I understand you’re busy with Emperor Edelgard, but you and I have rarely crossed paths-“

The woman stopped abruptly.

She couldn’t help but notice Hubert looked uncomfortable. He was looking away from her, his usual investigative and cold glare fixated elsewhere. She leant forward.

“Hubert...?”

He looked to her for a moment before averting his gaze again. His ghostly white complexion was beginning to become flushed. Did she upset him? She didn’t even think that was possible.

“Did I say something wrong?” She asked.

He shook his head.

“Not at all, I was just afraid this might happen.”

Mercedes frowned. The poor man looked like he was going to burst into tears. From what the other members of the house had said, she imagined Hubert to be almost impervious to emotion. But perhaps they had him wrong.

“Afraid? Why?”

His expression grew pained, like she had just applied alcohol to an open wound on his side. His upper lip drew back and he inhaled sharply. Something was eating at him and it was all because of her.

“Because,” He began, his voice low and husky, “women like you are alien to me.”

Mercedes chuckled nervously, uncrossing her fingers and grasping at the material of her skirt.

“Alien? What on earth do you mean?”

He brought his arms from behind his back and folded them across his chest, an uncharacteristically ashamed look on his face. His shoulders were tight. Every time he accidentally looked to Mercedes, he pulled his face away as if he had been burnt.

This ignited a new theory within the woman. Watching him struggle like this, so detached from his usual solemn self. It wasn’t that they hadn’t crossed paths, he had been avoiding her.

“Hubert...” She cooed, “What’s going on? How am I alien to you? Edelgard is a woman-“

“Lady Edelgard is different.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice. His tone was sharp, biting. If she could see his eye through his thick, dark fringe, she had no doubt his brow would be furrowed.

“I live to serve Lady Edelgard, yes, but she is a reserved woman. She is not the most... affectionate towards me.”

Mercedes clasped her hands together, trying to listen as actively as she could, nodding as he spoke.

“The other women here, they’re my allies, but they always seem wary around me. As you can imagine, I’ve come to get used to that. But, you... You’re different.”

“Different? How so?”

He paused, finally mustering up the courage to look directly at her.

“You’re a kind woman, Mercedes” he began. “I’ve seen the way you talk to the others. Non-judgemental, inviting, sweet even. Even Lady Edelgard has discussed how...”

He stopped, swallowing heavily.

“... how m-“

The blonde watched his fingers dig into his arms as he ruminated on that next word. His Adam’s apple trembling in his pale throat. She could see his mouth move as if he was chewing the inside of his cheeks and lips.

“... how maternal you are.”

She chuckled bashfully. There it was, the reason he was avoiding her. He simply wasn’t used to such unconditional affection. Poor thing.

She sat upright again and patted the bed next to her, a peaceful, yet worried smile on her face.

“Come here, Hubert” she said in a hushed tone. “Come and sit next to me. We can talk this out.”

-

She never thought she’d see him cry. Not in a million years. Even in the heat of battle, the most severe injury,Hubert was always the type to remain strong willed. Never wavering, never bowing to anyone other than his Emperor.

With Mercedes, he was bowing in a different way.

They had started the conversation sat next to each other on the minister’s bed, shoulder to shoulder like a pair of schoolchildren waiting to be disciplined. But as they progressed, he eventually found himself on his knees in front of her, his head on her lap, his hands intertwined with hers. This was not the terrifying shadowy figure described by the rest of the Black Eagles. This was not the fearsome right hand of the Emperor, lurking in the shadows. No. This was simply Hubert. A man who she- and she suspected the others- never expected to have such heavy baggage.

The blonde hushed him as he silently sobbed into her skirt, her eyes closed and her thumb pressing at his palm. He had described to her unspeakable things. The life of a man born to serve. A man raised for one purpose only. As soon as Edelgard became Emperor, hundreds of corrupt nobles were purged- Hubert’s father included. Of course, he was more than happy to carry out the operation himself. And judging by what he said, there was no doubt why.

Hubert described his father as a creature with a cold heart and an icy soul. A vile traitor who tried his hand at taking down the Emperor’s rule and- by extension- his son’s purpose. Marquis Von Vestra was a scolding man, who treated his son as more of a means to an end than a child. He was trained to be the perfect servant. Loyal, unyielding, brutal. If a sign of disloyalty ever reared its head, his father made sure Hubert would never make the same mistake again. He hated his father for his actions towards him, but he hated him for being a traitor more.

The conversation made the woman’s heart ache, but there was something she couldn’t help but mention. The crux of their lack of contact.

“What about your mother?”

His whimpering stopped.

“My... mother?”

Mercedes nodded slowly, looking down at him with an empathetic smile.

Hubert sniffled and took one of his hands from hers, placing it on her knee beside his face.

“I... didn’t know my mother too well” he said. “I spent most of my childhood with my father. He was the one in charge of training me for Lady Edelgard.”

“Oh dear...”

“She was there, yes. Alive. Yet I have little to no memory of her. She never held me or spoke to me with much affection. She was simply... there. She was a mother in the most literal, biological sense.”

She lowered her head to him, her right hand still entangled in his.

“Does that make you upset?”

He paused for a moment, letting out a somewhat defeated sigh.

“I suppose it does” he began. “Of course, I took out my father myself, but... my mother was nowhere to be found. Typical, really.”

He let out an ominous laugh, but Mercedes could see right through it. He was forcing himself to appear nonchalant, despite the position he was in. But, she wasn’t going to stop him.

“A part of me wishes I could have had an actual relationship with her. To receive that kind of unconditional affection. To be held and cherished. To be treated as more than just the future minister of the Empire” He paused, holding his tongue and looking disgusted with himself. “Ah, that’s practically traitorous to say.”

Despite his words- his supposed treachery in speech- his hands still grasped at her skirt longingly, seeking comfort. 

He was telling the truth.

The blonde couldn’t help but be worried for him. This poor man. It was no wonder he was so apprehensive of her. Someone as sweet and maternal as Mercedes was practically unheard of in his loveless existence. Plenty of the Black Eagles had harsh home lives, herself included, but she never imagined it would impact someone like Hubert so badly. And she thought that was terrible.

“Hubert...” she cooed, her free hand now in his hair, making him flinch slightly, “I’m glad you’ve opened up to me like this.”

He gazed up at her, confused. His eyes were still misty with tears, his cheeks and nose flushed red.

“Y-yes...” he agreed weakly, “I am too.”

Mercedes brought his hand to her face and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles, evoking a relaxed sigh. He may have been the last person she expected to share such an intimate moment with, but she was ever so relieved.

“We can do this again sometime if you’d like.”

He closed his eyes blissfully, sinking into the fabric of her dress, revelling in her kisses.

“I would enjoy that greatly, mother.”

-

The woman paused.

Mother?

Did the terrifying Hubert Von Vestra really just refer to her as _mother_?

She couldn’t help but giggle slightly. How precious.

“Oh my... How sweet” she mewed. “It’s alright... Mother is here for you.”

He jolted upright, letting go of her other hand and stumbling onto his feet. He must have realised what he had said.

“Ah! You must forgive me, Mercedes! That was- It was a slip of the tongue-“

“Hubert...”

He paced frantically, wringing his hands.

“Oh, by the Goddess, if Lady Edelgard heard about this, I’d surely be viewed as some- some pathetic whelp of a man! It would ruin me!”

She brought her hands into her lap again, a more concerned look on her face.

“Nobody needs to know, Hubert” she assured him, “All of your allies have confided in me, I don’t see why you cannot.”

He learnt against his desk, his hands against his face in embarrassment. The minister trembled as he stood. It was unlike anything Mercedes could even imagine.

She stood herself in front of him. Despite being one of the taller women at the monastery, she had to look up at Hubert. 

“Oh my...” she sighed in the sweetest tone she could muster. “This has really worked you up, hasn’t it?”

She brought her hands to his wrists, encouraging him to lower them. He complied, slowly bringing them away from his tear-stained face.

“Look at me, Hubert.”

She held his hands again, squeezing them lightly.

“You know I would never tell anyone anything you didn’t want me to, especially something as personal as this.”

The corners of his mouth quivered as he looked at her, trying desperately to hold it together. As he had said, Lady Edelgard was close to him. Closer than anyone. But, he couldn’t deny that she wasn’t the most caring woman, not towards him anyway. She was far more interested in the professor. She acknowledged him as a friend, yes, but there was not much tenderness in that friendship. He was sworn to protect her, it was his birthright, but she was set on other things. Her Empire, her plans, her future... The trivialities of friendship and compassion were not her first priorities.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had needed a woman like Mercedes for a long time. Someone to confide in, to listen to him. Someone to cherish him. 

“Mercedes...”

She smiled at the sound of his voice, “yes?”

“Will... you stay here until morning?”

She lead him back over to his bed again, taking a seat as they had done before. She cupped his face in her hands for a moment before wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace, her head on his squared shoulder.

“Of course, dear, mother will stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> IM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT 
> 
> Mercedes and Hubert don’t interact at all canonically and we know nothing about Hubert’s family other than his father, so all of this is just speculation and headcanon. I just want Hubert to be vulnerable and loved.
> 
> This was also self-indulgent as hell, so good job for making it to the end.


End file.
